Folded and glued display container having shelf elements

ABSTRACT

A folded and glued container has panels defining a back panel and laterally opposite first and second sidewalls and one or more shelf panels attached to the back panel and extending laterally between the two sidewalls. The container is constructed as a compact folded and glued container that can be readily erected by the end user and provides one or more shelf or partition like structures formed in part by panels that are affixed, in addition to an integral die cut panel, when processing the container in a fold and glue machine line.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to paperboard, corrugated craft and similarcontainers made in a fold and glue line and typically supplied in acollapsed or knocked-down-flat configuration that can be readilyerected. According to one aspect, two or more separately integral piecesof stock are assembled and can be erected to form a tier of shelves.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Corrugated and paperboard containers are made from pieces of flat stockthat are typically die cut into shapes that define various panels. Theshapes are folded along strategic lines between the panels, and at leastone overlapping strip or panel is typically glued, taped or otherwiseaffixed to another panel to form a closed perimeter. The various panelsare intended to become the walls, top and/or bottom of a full or partialenclosure when folded into place. Often, the containers are supplied ina collapsed or flattened parallelogram state (known as knocked-down-flator “KDF”), for efficient storage, handling and shipping. Before packing,the containers are opened out into a hollow form and the panels arefolded to reside in orthogonal planes.

Such containers can be more or less complicated. A simple version knownas the regular slotted carton (RSC) has four side walls, each of whichhas a top and bottom flap. More complicated versions have doubled-overpanels, reinforcing folded parts, inter-engaging tabs and slots andother features.

Such containers advantageously are produced by feeding flat integral diecut sheets through a fold-and-glue machine, such as those available fromBobst Group, Inc. of Roseland, N.J., to apply adhesive and preliminarilyto fold over select panels so that the panels are adhered in a KDF statefor shipping or storage, ready to be erected into their finalconfiguration by articulating the panels around adjoining folds. Asimple RSC version is erected by pressing inwardly from diagonallyopposite corners and folding the flaps inwardly by 90° from theiradjoined panels. In relatively more complicated full or partialcontainers, various panels may need to be folded in appropriatedirections in appropriate order. Various tabs may need to be insertedinto respective slots and so forth.

Containers as described can be used for displaying items or goods forthe consumers at the point-of-sale location. Minimizing the effort andcomplication required to erect and set up the containers is an importantfactor for the viability and success of the particular container design.Thus, the number of parts required to erect or assemble the containersfrom their KDF configuration is an important element in theacceptability of the container design.

Generally, a container design is most efficient if most or all of itspanels, tabs and other parts are integral panels and extensions ofpanels cut from a single flat blank, i.e., integral parts of the samesheet of material. Separate discrete parts such as separate lids,inserted partitions, shelves, reinforcing inserts and the like requireattention to inventory, manual assembly steps and other complicationsduring the production, erection and set up of the container. Separateparts are not desirable.

For these reasons, conventional KDF-type containers routinely areprovided in a single piece flat blanks wherein all the panels necessaryto construct or erect a container are members of a single sheet of stockmaterial, cut out along an outline and scored or perforated at foldlines so as to provide all the necessary parts in an integral unit. Thevarious seams are glued and the various folding connections betweenpanels are cut, scored, compressed, etc.

The die cut integral blanks, preferably preliminarily weakened alongprospective fold lines, are processed through the fold and glue machine.Glue is applied at preselected surfaces that are to overlap at seams.Panels are folded around fold joints. The KDF container blanks are thusproduced and assembled in a state ready to be packed and shipped. Formore complicated container designs, for example including lids orinserts, the KDF container blanks may be accompanied by separatediscrete parts, but they add cost and require time for inventoryattention, assembly and other reasons.

Because conventional KDF containers preferably are integral sheets, thepanel layout design and general container complexity are limited. Thereis a need for ways to permit container designs to be made into complexstructures, but without entailing complex parts and extensive assemblysteps.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A folded and glued container according to an embodiment comprises aplurality of panels defining a back panel and laterally opposite firstand second sidewalls, each sidewall being joined to the back panel. Oneor more shelf panels are attached to the back panel and extend laterallybetween the two sidewalls. A facing panel is joined to each of the shelfpanels. An inner facing panel is joined to each of the facing panels anda pair of facing supports are provided for supporting the facing panelin the erected state of the container. One facing support in each ofpair of facing supports is joined to one of the sidewalls and the otherfacing support of the pair is joined to the other of the sidewalls. Thecontainer also can include longitudinally opposite top and bottom endwalls joined to the back panel. In the erected state of the container,the top and bottom end walls may be attached to each of the sidewalls byone or more locking tabs.

According to another embodiment, a folded and glued self-erectingcontainer comprises a plurality of panels defining a back panel andlaterally opposite first and second sidewalls. Each sidewall has anouter sidewall panel joined to the back panel and a plurality of innersidewall panels joined to the outer sidewall panel. One or more shelfpanels are attached to the back panel and extend laterally between thetwo sidewalls. The shelf panels are joined to inwardly folded bellowspanels extending between the shelf panels and the outer sidewall panelssuch that when the sidewalls are erected from their knocked-down-flatconfiguration to an orientation perpendicular to the back panel, theshelf panels are raised from their knocked-down-flat configuration toform shelves between the two sidewalls. The shelf panels can function asshelves when the container is in an upright orientation or can alsofunction as partitions when the container is laid down on its backpanel.

In certain embodiments, a facing panel is joined to each of the shelfpanels for forming a facing structure for each shelf. The facingstructure functions as a retaining wall raised along the front edge ofeach of the shelves to retain the items being held by the shelves.Alternatively, in a similar structure the facing structure is below thefront edge of each shelf and stiffens the shelf while allowing items tobe moved freely over the front edge of the shelf, without obstruction.An inner facing panel is joined to each of the facing panel and a pairof facing supports are provided for supporting each of the facing panelsin the erected state of the container. One facing support of the pair offacing supports is joined to one of the outer sidewall panels and theother facing support of the pair of facing supports is joined to theother of the outer sidewall panels.

In other embodiments, the folded and glued self-erecting container mayfurther include top and bottom end walls, each of the top and bottom endwall panels are joined to inwardly folding bellows panels extendingbetween them and the outer sidewall panels. When the sidewalls areerected from their knocked-down-flat configuration to an orientationperpendicular to the back panel, the top and bottom end wall panels arelifted automatically from their knocked-down-flat configuration. In someembodiments, one or both of the top and bottom end wall panels can beconfigured with facing panels and inner facing panels and correspondingfacing supports provided along the outer sidewall panels allowing thetop and/or bottom end walls to function as shelves.

According to another embodiment, one or both of the top and bottom endwalls can be provided with a facing panel and an inner facing panel andassociated facing supports joined to the outer sidewall panels.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A number of additional objects and aspects are apparent from theappended description and the associated illustrations of preferredembodiments, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an erected container according to oneembodiment;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the die-cut blank for the container of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the KDF container blank for the container ofFIG. 1 that has been folded and glued from the die-cut blank of FIG. 2;

FIGS. 4 a and 4 b are perspective views of interim stages in erectingthe container of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 c is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a shelf panel beingassembled in FIG. 4 b;

FIG. 5 a is a perspective view of a container according to anotherembodiment;

FIG. 5 b is a plan view of the KDF container blank for the container ofFIG. 5 a;

FIG. 6 a is a perspective view of a container according to anotherembodiment;

FIG. 6 b is a plan view of the KDF container blank for the container ofFIG. 6 a;

FIG. 7 a is a perspective view of a container according to anotherembodiment;

FIG. 7 b is a plan view of the die-cut blank for the container of FIG. 7a;

FIG. 7 c is a perspective view of the KDF container blank for thecontainer of FIG. 7 a that has been folded and glued from the die-cutblank of FIG. 7 b;

FIG. 8 a is a perspective view of a self-erecting container according toanother embodiment;

FIG. 8 b is a plan view of the die-cut blank for the container of FIG. 8a;

FIG. 8 c is a perspective view of the KDF container blank for thecontainer of FIG. 8 a that has been folded and glued from the die-cutblank of FIG. 8 b;

FIG. 8 d is a perspective view of the KDF container blank of FIG. 8 cthat is partially erected; and

FIG. 8 e is a perspective view of the KDF container blank of FIG. 8 cthat is further partially erected.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As will be appreciated, terms such as “horizontal,” “vertical,” “left,”“right,” “up,” “down,” “top,” “bottom,” “front” and “back,” (etc.), usedas nouns, adjectives or adverbs (e.g. “horizontally”, “rightward”,“upwardly”, “downwardly”, etc.) refer in this description to theorientation of the structure of the invention as it is illustrated inthe particular drawing figure when that figure faces the reader. Suchterms are not intended to limit the invention to a particularorientation. Similarly, the terms “longitudinal” and “lateral” generallyrefer to the orientation of surfaces or other structures relative to anaxis of elongation or axis of rotation, as appropriate. The terms“integral”, “integrally connected” or “integrally joined” when used todescribe the relationship between two or more structures means that thestructures are comprised of a single piece of material.

The terms “connected” and “interconnected”, when used to describe therelationship between two or more structures, mean that such structuresare secured or attached either directly or indirectly throughintervening structures and include movable connections such as pivotingconnections. The term “operatively” means that the foregoing direct orindirect connections between such structures allow the structures tooperate as described and intended by virtue of such connection.

Lines representing fold lines are shown in the drawings by broken andsolid lines that represent lines along which the material can beweakened or caused preferentially to fold by any of various means. Forexample, corrugated or other material can be compressed along a thinline defining a fold, or can be cut part way through along the line, orcut all or part way through the line at spaced intervals. Each of theseand similar techniques form lines along which the material is folded ormade readily foldable, in the knocked-down flat (“KDF”) blank and/or inthe erected container.

Portions of joints in which glued surfaces are exposed to view in thedrawings and discussed in this description are sometimes shown in therelevant figures by “XXX” patterns, representing an area to whichadhesive has been or will be applied. Areas where the glue on a rearface of a respective panel is relevant are at times shown in broken line“XXX” patterns, indicating an adhering surface on a side opposite fromthe side shown (i.e., the backside).

FIG. 1 shows a container 10 according to an embodiment in erectedconfiguration. The container 10 is a rectilinear container comprised ofa plurality of panels, a back panel 20 and laterally opposing sidewallpanels 30. The container 10 also includes one or more shelf panels 60that are attached to the back panel 20. The shelf panels 60 extendbetween the sidewalls 30 and provides partitions for the container orfunction as shelves for displaying items when the container is used invertical orientation as shown. Each of the shelf panels 60 include afacing panel 64 that is folded and oriented substantially perpendicularto the shelf panels 60 to retain items that are placed on the shelfpanels 60. The container 10 is erected from a folded and glued KDFcontainer blank 10 b shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 2 shows a layout of a sheet of die-cut blank 10 a including shelfpanels 60 cut from a single flat blank sheet of stock material. Thedie-cut blank 10 a can be cut, for example, from a sheet of corrugatedboard, paperboard or other suitable sheet material. A number ofthicknesses can be die cut in a single step. However, the die-cut blank10 a preferably is cut out individually so that the blank can be scoredor compressed along the fold lines, at the same time that the perimeterof the blank is cut from the sheet. The die-cut blank 10 a is thenfolded and glued by a fold-and-glue machine to form the KDF containerblank 10 b.

The fold-and-glue process may be carried out by fold-and-glue machines,such as those available from Bobst Group, Inc. of Roseland, N.J., applyadhesive to pre-selected areas of the die-cut blank and preliminarilyfold over pre-selected panels.

An aspect of the inventive product show is that for making KDF containerblanks, such as the blank 10 b, for various embodiments of theinvention, the fold-and glue machine is caused to glue and attachcertain separate supplemental pieces such as the shelf panels 60 to theintegral main die-cut blanks 10 a. As described herein, the addition ofsupplemental pieces to a blank enables a number of advantageous aspectsto be achieved while using the capabilities of the fold and glue machineto apply adhesive at strategic places and to fold over various panelsand tabs to form a KDF structure ready to be erected.

The die-cut blank 10 a comprises a back panel 20, sidewall panels 30 andfacing supports 32 that are cut from a single sheet of stock materialand thus are integrally joined. The back panel 20 and the sidewallpanels 30 are integrally joined across longitudinally extending foldlines 1 f. The sidewall panels 30 and the facing supports 32 areintegrally joined along longitudinally extending fold lines 2 f. Thefacing supports 32 are provided with locking tabs 33 for engaging withthe shelf panel 60 when the container 10 is erected.

The one or more shelf panels 60, including as associated sub-parts,attachment flaps 62, facing panels 64 and inner facing panels 66, can bedie cut from the same sheet of stock material, but these parts are cutas individual pieces and are not integrally joined to the die-cut blank10 a when processed in the fold and glue machine. An attachment flap 62is joined to the rest of the shelf panel 60 by a fold line 3 f. A facingpanel 64 is joined to the shelf panel 60 by a fold line 4 f and theinner facing panel 66 is joined to the facing panel 64 by a fold line 5f. The inner facing panel 66 is provided with one or more locking tabs67 and the shelf panels 60 are provided with corresponding locking tabreceiving slots 65 for holding the shelf assemblies in their erectedconfiguration.

The KDF container blank 10 b is formed by gluing and attaching each ofthe shelf panels 60 to the back panel 20 portion of the die-cut blank 10a. The fold-and-glue machine applies glue to the glue areas G marked by“XXX” of the back panel 20 shown in FIG. 2. The fold-and-glue machinethen picks up the one or more shelf panels 60, which are fed separatelyinto the fold-and-glue machine as supplemental pieces, positions andattaches them to the back panel 20 so that the attachment flaps 62 ofthe shelf panels 60 align with the glue areas G. The result is a KDFcontainer blank 10 b shown in FIG. 3.

Referring to FIGS. 4 a-4 c, interim stages of erecting the container 10from the KDF container blank 10 b are illustrated. First, the sidewallpanels 30 and the shelf panels 60 are folded up along the fold lines 1 fand 3 f, respectively, as shown in FIG. 4 a. The facing supports 32 arethen folded inwards along the fold lines 2 f. A pair of facing supports32, one joined to each of the opposing sidewall panels 30, is providedfor each of the facing panel 60. The facing panels 64 are folded alongthe fold lines 4 f towards the top of the container 10 as shown by thearrows A in FIG. 4 b. As illustrated in FIG. 4 c, which is alongitudinal cross-sectional view of a shelf panel 60 in the finalassembly configuration, the inner facing panels 66 are then folded downbehind the facing supports 32 along the fold lines 5 f until the lockingtabs 67 provided along the edge of the inner facing panels 66 areinserted into the locking tab receiving slots 65 provided on the shelfpanels 60. Folding the facing panels 64 and the inner facing panels 66in this manner captures the facing supports 32 between the facing panels64 and the inner facing panels 66. The locking tab 33 provided on thefacing support 32 is shown engaged into the locking tab receiving slot65 along with the locking tab 67 of the inner facing panel 66. In thisembodiment, the facing supports 32 keep the facing panels 64 in uprightposition as shown in FIG. 1 and also provide the structural support forthe shelves/partitions formed by the shelf panels 60.

Referring to FIGS. 5 a and 5 b, in another embodiment, longitudinallyopposite top end wall panel 40 and bottom end wall panel 50 are providedto add additional structural rigidity to an embodiment with respectiveback and side walls forming an open-faced container 11. FIG. 5 a shows aperspective view of the container 11 with the bottom end wall panel 50in fully assembled position and the top end wall panel 40 in a partiallyassembled position.

KDF container blank 11 b for the container 11 is shown in FIG. 5 b. Thetop and bottom end wall panels 40, 50 are integrally joined to the backpanel 20. The top and bottom end wall panels 40, 50 are configured withone or more locking tabs 42, 52, respectively. End flaps 34 extend fromthe longitudinally opposite ends of the sidewall panels 30 to providelocking tab receiving slots 35. To complete the erection of thecontainer, the end flaps 34 are folded inwards along fold lines 6 f.Then the top and bottom end wall panels 40, 50 are folded inwards alongfold lines 7 f and 8 f, respectively, and their locking tabs 42, 52 arefolded and inserted into the locking tab receiving slots 35. Ifappropriate, the locations of the end flaps 34, locking tabs 42, 52, andthe locking tab receiving slots 35 can be interchanged between thesidewall panels 30 and the end wall panels 40, 50. The KDF containerblank 11 b is similar to the KDF container blank 10 b with the additionof the end flaps 34, the top and bottom end wall panels 40, 50 and theirassociated locking tabs 42, 52 and the locking tab receiving slots 35.

Referring to FIGS. 6 a and 6 b, container 12 and its KDF container blank12 b according to another embodiment are illustrated. In thisembodiment, one or both of the top and bottom end wall panels 40, 50 maybe configured as shelves also. In the illustrated example of thecontainer 12 shown in FIG. 6 a, both the top and bottom end wall panelsare illustrated in shelf configuration. The top and bottom end wallpanels 40, 50 are provided with facing panels 64′ and inner facingpanels 66′ and corresponding facing supports 32′ are provided on thesidewall panels 30. The bottom end wall panel 50 is configured similarto the shelf panels 60 with the difference being that the bottom endwall panel 50 is integrally joined to the back panel 20 along the foldline 8 f rather than being glued to it. And the top end wall panel 40 isconfigured similar to the shelf panels 60 with the difference being thatthe top end wall panel 40 is integrally joined to the back panel 20along the fold line 7 f. But in this embodiment, the top end 31 of thesidewall panels 30 are extended longitudinally to provide the facingsupports 32′ for the top end wall panel 40. As with the shelf panels 60,the inner facing panels 66′ of the top and bottom end wall panels 40, 50are provided with one or more locking tabs 67′ and corresponding numberof locking tab receiving slots 65′ are provided. And as with the facingsupports 32, the facing supports 32′ are provided with locking tabs 33′for engaging with the locking tab receiving slots 65′ when the container12 is in fully erected configuration.

In other embodiments, for better presentation of display items carriedon the shelves, it may be desirable that the shelves in the container bedisposed at a forward incline. FIGS. 7 a and 7 b illustrate an exampleof such a container 13, configured with shelf panels 60 that areinclined at an angle β. The incline angle for each shelf panel may beconfigured to a particular desired angle. As shown in the correspondingdie-cut blank 13 a in FIG. 7 b, the sidewall panels 30 are configured tohave the facing supports 32 extend from the sidewall panels 30 at theincline angle β. In this example, the top end wall panel 40 is providedwith locking tabs 42 that mate with the locking tab receiving slots 35provided on the end flaps 34 of the sidewall panels 30 when thecontainer 13 is in its erect configuration. The end flaps 34 areprovided at the top end of the side wall panels 30 and are integrallyjoined to the side wall panels along fold lines 6 f. The locking tabreceiving slots 35 are provided along the fold lines 6 f to be inalignment with the locking tabs 42. As discussed previously, one or bothof the top and bottom end wall panels 40, 50 may be configured to be ashelf. In the example illustrated in FIGS. 7 a and 7 b, the bottom endwall panel 50 is configured as such. The bottom end wall panel 50 whichis integrally joined to the back panel 20 along the fold line 8 f has afacing panel 54 integrally joined to it along the fold line 4 f. Aninner facing panel 56 is integrally joined to the facing panel 54 alongthe fold line 5 f. And lastly, a shelf-forming extension panel 58 isintegrally joined to the inner facing panel 56 along the fold line 9 f.Also provided along the fold line 9 f are one or more locking tabs 57and provided along the fold line 4 f are corresponding number of lockingtab receiving slots 55.

The die-cut blank 13 a includes one or more shelf panels 60, includingthe associated sub-parts, attachment flaps 62, facing panels 64 andinner facing panels 66 that are die cut from the same sheet of stockmaterial, but are cut as individual pieces and are not integrally joinedto the die-cut blank 13 a. The attachment flap 62 is integrally joinedto the rest of the shelf panel 60 by a fold line 3 f. The facing panel64 is integrally joined to the shelf panel 60 by a fold line 4 f and theinner facing panel 66 is integrally joined to the facing panel 64 by afold line 5 f.

A KDF container blank 13 b is formed by gluing and attaching each of theshelf panels 60 to the back panel 20 portion of the die-cut blank 13 a.The fold-and-glue machine applies glue to the glue areas G marked by“XXX” of the back panel 20 shown in FIG. 7 b. In this example, two shelfpanels 60 are provided corresponding to the two sets of facing supports32 a, 32 b and 32 c, 32 d. The fold-and-glue machine then picks up theone or more shelf panels 60, which are fed separately into thefold-and-glue machine as supplemental pieces, positions and attachesthem to the back panel 20 so that the attachment flaps 62 of the shelfpanels 60 align with the glue areas G. The result is a KDF containerblank 13 b shown in FIG. 7 c in perspective view.

In erecting/assembling the container 13, the sidewall panels 30 arefolded inwards along fold lines 1 f. The facing supports 32 a-f are thenfolded inwardly along the fold lines 2 f. Each of the shelf panels 60are erected by folding it outward along the fold lines 3 f. Then, thefacing panel 64 is folded along the fold line 4 f toward the top of thecontainer. The inner facing panels 66 are then folded down behind thefacing supports 32 a, 32 b and 32 c, 32 d along fold lines 5 f untillocking tabs 67 are inserted into the locking tab receiving slots 65.The sequence of folding the facing panels 64 and inner facing panels 66are similar to the steps shown in FIGS. 4 b and 4 c in reference to thecorresponding panels in container 10. In this embodiment, the facingsupports 32 a-f keep the facing panels 64 orthogonal to the shelf panels60 and provide structural support as well as functioning as a retainingwall for the shelf.

To form the bottom shelf structure, the bottom end wall panel 50 isfolded towards the top of the container along the fold line 8 f. Next,the facing panel 54 is folded up towards the top of the container alongthe fold line 4 f. Next, the inner facing panel 56 is folded inwardly(i.e., towards the back panel 20) over onto the facing panel 54 so thatthe corresponding pair of facing supports 32 e and 32 f are held betweenthe facing panel 54 and the inner facing panel 56. The shelf-formingextension panel 58 is then folded outwardly (i.e., away from the backpanel 20) along the fold line 9 f into an inclined position and the oneor more locking tabs 59 of the shelf-forming extension panel 58 areinserted into the corresponding locking tab receiving slots 25 cut intothe back panel 20. The locking tabs 57 engage into the locking tabreceiving slots 55 of the bottom end wall panel 50 after the facingpanel 54 and the inner facing panel 56 are folded over the facingsupports 32 e and 32 f. The outline of the locking tabs 57 are die cutso that when the shelf-forming extension panel 58 is folded along thefold line 9 f, the locking tabs 57 protrudes.

According to another aspect of the invention, the shelf structuresformed by the supplemental pieces glued to the main die-cut blank by thefold-and-glue machine can be configured to be self-erecting. Forexample, referring to FIGS. 8 a-8 e, a self-erecting container 100 isillustrated. FIG. 8 a shows a perspective view of the fully erectedself-erecting container 100. The self-erecting container 100 comprises aback panel 120 and laterally opposite sidewalls 130, and longitudinallyopposite top end wall 140 and a bottom end wall 150. The container 100also includes one or more shelf panels 160 c, 160 d that are attached tothe back panel 120. The shelf panels 160 c, 160 d extend between thesidewalls 130 and function as shelves for displaying items when thecontainer 100 is used in vertical orientation as shown or providepartitions for the container when the container is used in horizontalorientation. Each of the shelf panels 160 c, 160 d may be provided witha facing panel 164 that is oriented substantially perpendicular to theshelf panels 160 c, 160 d that function as retaining wall for theshelves. In this embodiment, the bottom end wall 150 is also providedwith a facing panel 154 similar to the facing panels 164 of the shelfpanels 160 c, 160 d. The number of shelf panels provided in a givencontainer may vary depending on the number of shelves desired.

Referring to FIG. 8 b, a die-cut blank 100 a for the container 100 isshown. The die-cut blank 100 a includes shelf panels 160 c, 160 d thatmay be cut from the same blank sheet of stock material as the mainsection of the die-cut blank. As with the die-cut blanks for the otherembodiments, the die-cut blank 100 a can be cut, for example, from asheet of corrugated board, paperboard or other suitable sheet material.The die-cut blank 100 a is folded and glued by a fold-and-glue machineto form the KDF container blank 100 b shown in FIG. 8 c.

The die-cut blank 100 a comprises the back panel 120, outer sidewallpanels 137 integrally joined to the back panel 120 along fold lines f1and a plurality of inner sidewall panels 139 integrally joined to theouter sidewall panel 137 along fold lines f10. Provided in between theinner sidewall panels 139 are facing supports 132 that are integrallyjoined to the outer sidewall panel 137 by fold lines f2. The number offacing supports along each of the outer sidewall panel 137 will dependon the number of shelves the particular embodiment of the container has.In the container 100 illustrated here, three shelves are provided (twofrom the shelf panels 160 c, 160 d and the third from the bottom endwall panel 150), thus, there are three facing supports 132 are providedalong each of the outer sidewall panels 137 forming three pairs offacing supports. The facing supports 132 are provided with locking tabs133 for engaging with the shelf panels 160 c, 160 d and the bottom endwall panel 150 when the container 100 is fully erected.

The top end wall panel 140 is integrally joined to the back panel 120along fold line f7. The bottom end wall panel 150 is providedlongitudinally opposite from the top end wall panel 140 and isintegrally joined to the back panel 120 along fold line f8. The top andbottom end wall panels 140, 150 are integrally joined to the outersidewall panels 137 by inwardly folding bellows panels 170 a, 170 b,respectively. The bellows panels 170 a, 170 b include glue regions G4,G5, respectively for gluing and bonding the bellows panels 170 a, 170 bto the outer sidewall panels 137. The top end wall panel 140 may furtherinclude a reinforcement flap 142 integrally joined to the top end wallpanel along fold line f11. By gluing the glue region G3 and folding thereinforcement flap 142 over onto the region G3, the structural rigidityof the top end wall 140 can be improved by increasing its thickness.

The bottom end wall panel 150 is provided with a facing panel 154 thatis integrally joined to it along fold line f4 and an inner facing panel156 is integrally joined to the facing panel 154 along fold line f5.Along the edge of the inner facing panel 156 are one or more lockingtabs 157 for engaging the locking tab receiving slots 155 provided onthe bottom end wall panel 150 along the fold line f4 when the containeris fully erected.

One or more shelf panels 160 c, 160 d, including their sub-parts are diecut from the same sheet of stock material as the main portion of thedie-cut blank (the portion with the back panel 120), but are provided asindividual supplemental pieces and are not integrally joined to the mainportion of the die-cut blank when fed into a fold-and-glue machine. Thefold-and-glue machine will glue and attach the shelf panels 160 c, 160 dto the main portion of the die-cut blank to form a KDF blank 100 b. Eachof the shelf panels 160 c, 160 d are configured similar to the shelfpanels 60 of the container 10.

Each of the shelf panels 160 c, 160 d has an attachment flap 162integrally joined to the shelf panel along a fold line f3. A facingpanel 164 is integrally joined to each of the shelf panels along a foldline f4 and an inner facing panel 166 is joined to the facing panel 164along a fold line f5. The inner facing panel 166 is provided with one ormore locking tabs 167 and the shelf panels are provided withcorresponding locking tab receiving slots 165 for holding the shelfassemblies in their erected configuration. Additionally, in thisself-erecting embodiment, the shelf panels 160 c, 160 d are eachprovided with a pair of bellows panels 170 c, 170 d, respectively.

Referring to FIG. 8 c, a KDF blank 100 b constructed from the die-cutblank 100 a by a fold-and-glue machine is shown. The fold-and-gluemachine applies glue to the glue areas G6 and G7 and attaches the shelfpanels 160 c and 160 d to the back panel 120 of the main portion of thedie-cut blank. For example, the shelf panel 160 c is attached byaligning the areas G6′ and the attachment flap 162 to the correspondingglued areas G6 and G1, respectively, on the back panel 120. Similarly,the shelf panel 160 d is attached by aligning the areas G7′ and theattachment flap 162 to the corresponding glued areas G7 and G2,respectively, on the back panel 120. The glue areas G4 of the bellowspanel 170 a is then glued and the top end wall panel is folded overalong the fold line f7, thus, attaching the glued areas G4 to the outersidewall panels 137. The glue areas G5 of the bellows panel 170 b isthen glued and the bottom end wall panel 150 is folded over along thefold line f8, thus, attaching the glued areas G5 to the outer sidewallpanels 137.

As shown in FIG. 8 c, the top end wall panel 140, the shelf panels 160c, 160 d, and the bottom end wall panel 150 are joined to inwardlyfolded bellows panels 170 a, 170 c, 170 d, 170 b, respectively,extending between these panels and the outer sidewall panels 137. By theoperation of the inwardly folded bellows panels, when the outer sidewallpanels 137 are erected from their KDF configuration to an orientationperpendicular to the back panel 120, the shelf panels 160 c, 160 d andthe top and bottom end wall panels 140, 150 are raised from their KDFconfiguration so that the top end wall panel 140 forms a top end walland the shelf panels 160 c, 160 d and the bottom end wall panel 150 formshelves between the two sidewalls.

FIG. 8 d shows a partially erected KDF blank 100 b in which the outersidewall panels 137 are in fully vertical configuration and the top andbottom end wall panels 140, 150 and the shelf panels 160 c, 160 d, inturn, have been fully raised automatically by the operation of theassociated inwardly folded bellows panels 170 a, 170 b, 170 c, 170 d.Next, each of the inner sidewall panels 139 are folded down inwardsalong the fold lines f10, as shown by the arrows B, until the lockingtabs 139 t of the inner sidewall panels 139 are inserted into thelocking tab receiving slots 129 provided in the back panel 120. As shownin FIG. 8 e, when the inner sidewall panels 139 are folded down andlocked as described, the inner sidewall panels 139 capture the foldedbellows panels 170 a, 170 b, 170 c, 170 d between the inner sidewallpanels 139 and the outer sidewall panels 137. This secures the top andbottom end wall panels 140, 150 and the shelf panels 160 c, 160 d in theerected configuration.

Further referring to FIG. 8 e, next, the facing supports 132 are foldedinwards along the fold lines f2 as shown by the arrows C. The facingpanels 164 and 154 are folded along the fold lines f4 towards the top ofthe container 100 and the inner facing panels 166 and 156 are thenfolded down behind the facing supports 132 along the fold lines f5 untilthe locking tabs 167 and 157 provided along the edges of the innerfacing panels 166 and 156 are inserted into the corresponding lockingtab receiving slots 165 and 155 provided on the shelf panels 160 c, 160d and the bottom end wall panel 150. Folding the facing panels 164, 154and the inner facing panels 166, 156 in this manner captures the facingsupports 132 between the facing panels 164, 154 and the associated innerfacing panels 166, 156. The facing supports 132 keep the facing panels164, 154 in their erected position.

In another embodiment, a facing panel 164 can be joined to each of theshelf panels 160 for forming a facing for each shelf. Such facingsfunction as retaining walls along the front edges of the shelves. Aninner facing panel 166 is joined to each of the facing panel 164 and apair of facing supports 132 are provided for supporting each of thefacing panels in the erected state of the container. One facing support132 of the pair of facing supports is joined to one of the outersidewall panels 130 and the other facing support of the pair of facingsupports is joined to the other of the outer sidewall panels 130.

The invention having been disclosed in connection with the foregoingvariations and examples, additional variations will now be apparent topersons skilled in the art. The invention is not intended to be limitedto the variations specifically mentioned. For example, in some otherembodiments, the containers disclosed herein, both the self-erectingtype as well as the non-self-erecting type, may be modified so that theshelf structures do not have the facing panels. In another example, thetop end wall panel 140 of the container 100 may be replaced with anothershelf panel similar to the shelf panels 160 c and 160 d so that the topend of the container 100 is another shelf. Accordingly reference shouldbe made to the appended claims rather than the foregoing discussion ofpreferred examples, to assess the scope of the invention in whichexclusive rights are claimed.

1. A folded and glued container comprising: a plurality of panelsdefining a back panel and laterally opposite first and second sidewalls,each sidewall being joined to the back panel; one or more shelf panelsattached to the back panel and extending laterally between the twosidewalls; a facing panel joined to each of said shelf panels; an innerfacing panel joined to each of said facing panels; and a pair of facingsupports provided for supporting each of said facing panels in theerected state of the container, one facing support of said pair offacing supports being joined to one of said sidewalls and the otherfacing support of said pair of facing supports being joined to the otherof said sidewalls.
 2. The container of claim 1, further comprisinglongitudinally opposite top and bottom end walls joined to the backpanel.
 3. The container of claim 2, wherein the top end wall attaches toeach of the sidewalls by one or more locking tabs.
 4. The container ofclaim 2, wherein the bottom end wall attaches to each of the sidewallsby one or more locking tabs.
 5. The container of claim 2, furthercomprising: a facing panel joined to the top end wall; an inner facingpanel joined to said facing panel of said top end wall; and anadditional pair of facing supports provided for supporting said top endwall's facing panel in the erected state of the container, one facingsupport of said additional pair of facing supports being joined to oneof said sidewalls and the other facing support of said additional pairof facing supports being joined to the other of said sidewalls.
 6. Thecontainer of claim 2, further comprising: a facing panel joined to thebottom end wall; an inner facing panel joined to said facing panel ofsaid bottom end wall; and an additional pair of facing supports providedfor supporting said bottom end wall's facing panel in the erected stateof the container, one facing support of said additional pair of facingsupports being joined to one of said sidewalls and the other facingsupport of said additional pair of facing supports being joined to theother of said sidewalls.
 7. The container of claim 2, wherein said pairsof facing supports joined to said sidewalls extend from the sidewalls atan incline to hold said one or more shelf panels at said incline andsaid container further comprising: a shelf-forming extension paneljoined to the bottom end wall's inner facing panel and attachable to theback panel by at least one locking tab for forming a shelf at saidincline.
 8. A folded and glued container comprising: a plurality ofpanels defining a back panel and laterally opposite first and secondsidewalls, each sidewall having an outer sidewall panel joined to theback panel, and a plurality of inner sidewall panels joined to the outersidewall panel; and one or more shelf panels attached to the back paneland extending laterally between the two sidewalls, the shelf panelsbeing joined to inwardly folded bellows panels extending between theshelf panels and the outer sidewall panels such that when the sidewallsare erected from a knocked-down-flat configuration to an orientationperpendicular to the back panel, the shelf panels are raised from aknocked-down-flat configuration to form shelves between the twosidewalls.
 9. The container of claim 8, further comprising: a facingpanel joined to each of said shelf panels; an inner facing panel joinedto each of said facing panels; and a pair of facing supports providedfor supporting each of said facing panels in the erected state of thecontainer, one facing support of said pair of facing supports beingjoined to one of said outer sidewall panels and the other facing supportof said pair of facing supports being joined to the other of said outersidewall panels.
 10. The container of claim 8, further comprising:longitudinally opposite top and bottom end walls joined to the backpanel; inwardly folded bellows panels extending between the top andbottom end walls and the sidewalls connecting the sidewalls to the topand bottom end walls such that when the top and bottom end walls arepulled upwardly, the sidewalls are erected from a knocked-down-flatconfiguration to said orientation perpendicular to the back panel. 11.The container of claim 10, wherein the bottom end wall comprises afacing panel joined to the bottom end wall panel; an inner facing paneljoined to said facing panel; and a pair of facing supports provided forsupporting said facing panel in the erected state of the container, onefacing support of said pair of facing supports being joined to one ofsaid outer sidewall panels and the other facing support of said pair offacing supports being joined to the other of said outer sidewall panels.12. A folded and glued container comprising: a plurality of panelsdefining a back panel, longitudinally opposite top and bottom end wallsjoined to the back panel, and laterally opposite first and secondsidewalls, each sidewall having an outer sidewall panel joined to theback panel, and a plurality of inner sidewall panels joined to the outersidewall panel; one or more shelf panels attached to the back panel andextending laterally between the two sidewalls, the shelf panels beingjoined to inwardly folded bellows panels extending between the shelfpanels and the outer sidewall panels such that when the sidewalls areerected from a knocked-down-flat configuration to an orientationperpendicular to the back panel, the shelf panels are raised from aknocked-down-flat configuration to form shelves between the twosidewalls; a facing panel joined to each of said shelf panels; an innerfacing panel joined to each of said facing panels; a pair of facingsupports provided for supporting each of said facing panels in theerected state of the container, one facing support of said pair offacing supports being joined to one of said outer sidewall panels andthe other facing support of said pair of facing supports being joined tothe other of said outer sidewall panels; and inwardly folded bellowspanels extending between the top and bottom end walls and the sidewallsconnecting the sidewalls to the top and bottom end walls such that whenthe top and bottom end walls are pulled upwardly, the sidewalls areerected from a knocked-down-flat configuration to said orientationperpendicular to the back panel.